Assistant Finance Manager WCC619932

Job Details:

Salary range: £41,580 - £55,710 per annum  
Work location: Westminster City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, Westminster, SW1E 6QP
Hours per week: 36  
Contract type: 3x Permanent (1 x Corporate Finance and 2 x Adult Social Care)  
Closing date: 19 February 2025
Interview date: Week commencing 3 March 2025

About Us:

THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF AWARD-WINNING CARBON SAVINGS ON HIGHWAYS PROJECTS 

The Finance Team in Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories, where we go above and beyond for our residents – in all sorts of pioneering ways. By being smart and courageous with the council’s finances we can achieve more for our residents and wider society, especially when working closely with other council departments.

Our approach to responsible procurement and the way we work collaboratively with our suppliers can bring significant benefits, including huge reductions in environmental impact.

Take the award-winning Kings Street footway scheme. This was the first scheme of its kind in the UK to switch all possible high carbon materials and equipment for zero and low carbon alternatives. This included using electric tools and excavators, low carbon foundations, concrete and paving and zero-emission deliveries to site. The result? a 79% carbon saving compared to traditional techniques.

And why does this success matter? Because Kings Street has formed a blueprint for future projects. Its success has been translated to five further paving schemes, which have achieved savings of up to 94% operational carbon against comparable sites. A subsequent resurfacing project in Third Avenue achieved another UK first in its use of 85% recycled material on the roadway. These schemes demonstrate that partnership working with our suppliers can help us meet the councils net zero carbon targets.

Please view the extraordinary story of the King Street footway scheme here.

The Role:

As Assistant Finance Manager you can make your own powerful contribution to Westminster’s success. Working simultaneously on a number of projects and tasks, you’ll provide high quality financial information, and liaise with budget and service managers to ensure plans, initiatives and projects have the appropriate financial and commercial input. You’ll also assist with cross-authority working and benchmarking, and help to develop and review procedures and reference manuals that support consistent service delivery and compliance with existing and anticipated legislation, regulations and codes of practice. 

You’ll have a wide range of additional responsibilities – these include helping to implement our strategy on continuous service improvement, and providing clear information to support the future development of the service. You’ll also deliver a range of specialist services that assist customers, help to secure our cost-effectiveness, and ensure plans, initiatives and projects have the appropriate financial and commercial input.

But your work won’t stop here – you’ll also develop commercial opportunities, bring together local services and decisions across agencies to reduce demand, and contribute to the implementation of change management programmes. And at all times, you’ll role model positive behaviours, empowering, engaging and encouraging your teams to demonstrate the council’s values as we work to achieve our ambitious corporate vision.

Please refer to the Job Description for more information.

About You:

With some experience of supporting a significant function or service in a large multi-disciplined organisation with similar resources to ours, you’ll have contributed to the management of budgets for services, including the development of integrated costings systems and working to re-balance overspends. You should also have knowledge of financial modelling and financial management in a multi-disciplinary environment.

Capable of preparing clear and accessible reports, you’ll have some understanding of the issues facing local government, and of project, programme, change management, business and commercial techniques. We’ll also look for knowledge of financial planning, budget setting, the closing of accounts, comparative analysis and research techniques.

Your excellent relationship and stakeholder management skills will allow you to communicate well with a range of audiences, and you’ll have a strong commitment to the principles of equity and diversity. With a relevant degree and AAT or equivalent knowledge and experience, you’ll should also be part qualified or studying for a CCAB/CIMA qualification or their overseas equivalent. 

Westminster City Council is committed to supporting Care Leavers into the workplace. Care Leavers seeking their first job and who wish to be considered under our scheme, will automatically be invited to interview should they meet the essential criteria for the role.

What We Offer:

Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster. Westminster City Council’s strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city’s future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe.   
 
At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. To find out more about how we do this visit  https://www.westminster.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/public-health-strategy-policies-and-reports/equality-duties  
 
As a forward-thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working.  
 
The Council is a Disability Confident Employer. If you have declared a disability in your application, we guarantee an interview if you meet the essential criteria of the job. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked if you need any reasonable adjustments in order to attend, and we will make these wherever possible.